Influencial Magazine Cover: Vogue 1932

The magazine that I have chosen to look at is the July 1932 cover of Vogue. It appealed to me because I have never known fashion magazines to have anything but photographic covers. Although at the time, the illustrated fashion magazines were popular and a way for artists to express fashion, this 1932 cover is revolutionary for the time it was created. Perhaps what I love most about the cover is that the use of colour in the photograph is very strong. The bright blue colour that commands the mass of the cover conveys that Vogue intended to make a statement. That statement would have been something along the lines of 'Coloured photography is here'.

In 1932, Condé Nast made fashion history by using a full colour photograph on the cover of Vogue. Up until this time, illustrations of fashion had been used to in the magazine. This innovative move saw the rapid decline in fashion illustration and changed fashion history forever.




July 1932, Vogue

The photographer of the image was Edward Steichen, an American Photographer widely recognised for his photography. Around this time Edward worked for both Vanity Fair and Vogue making him one of the highest paid photographers of the time.

This cover has impacted the fashion industry greatly. Today, every fashion magazine has a photographic cover. Although the photographic cover of the July 1932 signalled a growth in technology, it also paved the way for fashion magazines to grow as well.

Having a photographic cover is very important to the magazine industry. What separates an illustration from a photograph is that an illustration is the illustrators interpretation of an image whereas photographs are used to show things in their true form. Having coloured photographic covers revolutionised the fashion industry because it allowed the fashion magazines to appeal to a wider audience.

An illustrated cover from Vogue, December 1916

Fashion photography is essential for the growth of the fashion industry because it acts as both an advertisement for the brands and a catalogue for the consumer. Today, magazines are predominantly centred around advertisements which are used in order to display the latest trends. Without photographs of the fashion, the consumer would be unaware of the brands thus deeming the fashion magazines pointless and having a detrimental effect on the fashion industry.

Another example of how the coloured photographic cover being introduced was impacted the fashion industry is that is allows the magazine to showcase the latest talents of the fashion world. Being photographed for the cover of a high end fashion magazine is every models dream and in the past has helped to kick start many model's careers. 

Today, Vogue spotlights inspiring models and fashion,  British Vogue Feb 2015

Overall, the transition between illustrated covers and photographed covers is a great one. It has helped to expand the fashion industry with its ability to advertise and enhance the fashion magazine making it more enticing to the audience.